Blinatumomab Injection
Blinatumomab injection should be given only under the supervision of a doctor with experience in the use of chemotherapy medications.
Blinatumomab injection may cause a serious, life-threatening reaction that may occur during infusion of this medication. Tell your doctor if you have ever had a reaction to blinatumomab or any other medication. You will receive certain medications to help prevent an allergic reaction before you receive each dose of blinatumomab. If you experience any of the following symptoms during or after receiving blinatumomab, tell your doctor immediately: fever, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, chills, rash, swelling of the face, wheezing, or difficulty breathing. If you experience a severe reaction, your doctor will stop your infusion and treat the symptoms of the reaction.
Blinatumomab injection may also cause serious, life-threatening central nervous system reactions. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had seizures, confusion, loss of balance, or trouble speaking. If you experience any of the following symptoms, tell your doctor immediately: seizures, uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body, difficulty speaking, slurred speech, loss of consciousness, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, headache, confusion, or loss of balance.
Talk to your doctor about the risk(s) of using blinatumomab injection.
🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?
Blinatumomab is used in adults and children to treat certain types of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL; a type of cancer of the white blood cells) that has not gotten better, or that has returned after treatment with other medications, or that has improved but some residual disease remains. Blinatumomab is also used in adults and children to treat ALL that is in remission (a decrease or disappearance of signs and symptoms of cancer), but some evidence of the cancer remains. Blinatumomab is in a class of medications called bispecific T-cell engager antibodies. It works by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells in your body.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
Blinatumomab comes as a powder to be mixed with liquid to be slowly injected intravenously (into a vein) by a doctor or nurse in a hospital or medical facility and sometimes at home. This medication is given continuously for 4 weeks followed by 2 to 8 weeks when the medication is not given. This treatment period is called a cycle, and the cycle may be repeated as necessary. The length of treatment depends on how you respond to the medication.
Once you do get to see the doctor, don’t be surprised if you’re rushed out of the exam room before you get all of your questions answered, according to healthcare staffing agency Staff Care. Studies show that 41% of ophthalmologists spend just 9 to 12 minutes with a patient, and 13- to 16-minute appointments are the norm for 40% of cardiologists, 37% of pediatricians, 35% of urologists, 35% of family physicians, 34% of obstetricians and gynecologists and 30% of otolaryngologists.
Your doctor may need to delay your treatment, change your dose, or stop your treatment if you experience certain side effects. It is important for you to tell your doctor how you are feeling during your treatment with blinatumomab injection.
🔔 Other uses for this medicine
This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
